Nawal: An Original Commission

I am frequently asked how I started off... Like so.

Tom Gilfeather contacted me to commission an original painting of his partner, Nawal, He enquired about this portrait at the end of November and it was never going to be certain that I would complete it by Christmas. I told him that I would work on it exclusively for a 10 days a see where are - this would leave him ample time to source a replacement present and we agreed that if I wasn't going to complete in time than then it could instead be given as a 40th birthday present in the Spring.

Luckily, I managed to garner great inspiration from this piece. Nawal has an inherent glamour to her, and the specific pose in this image reinforces and bolsters her appeal in this regard. It's rather moody, but also natural - a hard mix to capture. But it's uniqueness meant that I found it easy to shape and build - it has a stark and definitive motif around which the features can be placed. 

I finished Tom's painting by the 22nd of December and he collected on the 23rd. "Wow" was his initial response. He commented particularly that the tone her of her skin was spot on and that, like nearly all portraits, the skin looks that touch softer in the flesh (no pun intended) compared to a digital image. All round success, I think.